Florida Senate panel votes to scale back testing

TALLAHASSEE — A plan to scale back testing in Florida schools cleared its first vote in the Florida Legislature on Wednesday, winning the approval of the Senate Education Committee.

Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican and former school superintendent, said the bill would “place a lid on too much testing.”

But the vote did little to satisfy parent and teacher groups, who say state lawmakers need to take more dramatic action — especially in light of this week’s problem-plagued rollout of the new Florida Standards Assessments.

“What’s happening in public schools is criminal, and this bill doesn’t do much to help our kids,” Florida Education Association vice president Joanne McCall said.

The debate in Tallahassee comes in response to growing concerns over Florida’s high-stakes testing program.